As the Boston Celtics enter the NBA Finals, it’s understood that center Robert Williams won’t be at full strength for the series against the Golden State Warriors.
Williams has battled left knee soreness, stemming from meniscus surgery in late March, throughout the postseason, and he’s determined to push through the pain and swelling that has caused him to miss seven games during Boston’s playoff run.
“It’s manageable,” Williams said on Wednesday at NBA Finals media day. “Kind of been getting in a routine the past couple of games of what I’ve got to go through just to have myself ready to play.”
Celtics coach Ime Udoka called Williams day-to-day for the Finals, and at points this postseason, said the injury is a pain tolerance issue for the Time Lord.
After missing half of Boston’s first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets and sitting out the final four contests versus the Milwaukee Bucks, Williams appeared in six of the seven games against the Miami Heat.
Aiding Williams in his effort to stay on the court was the Celtics being careful with his playing time during the Eastern Conference finals. Three times Williams didn’t play more than 20 minutes, including playing a series-low 15 minutes in the decisive Game 7 to reach the Finals.
The quick, three-day break the Celtics received following their triumph over the Heat gave Williams more time to rest up and he will have more recovery time in the Finals with two days off in-between all games except for Games 3 and 4.
“I feel like the reduced minutes helps, obviously, because with the injury, I have not being able to take the time off being in such an important part of the season, the minute reduction definitely helped,” Williams said. “Obviously the couple days in-between these series is helping, too.”
The NBA Finals between the Celtics and Warriors will get underway on Thursday with Game 1 scheduled to tip off at 9 p.m. ET at Chase Center.
